J&K CM, family urge Centre's help as Niger terrorists abduct Ramban man

JAMMU: J&K CM Omar Abdullah urged Sunday the external affairs ministry (MEA) to intervene urgently in securing the release of Ranjeet Singh, a resident of Ramban district, who was allegedly abducted by terrorists in Niger following an attack on July 15.

Abdullah tagged external affairs minister S Jaishankar on X and called for Centre’s intervention.

Singh, employed as a senior safety officer with M/s Transrail Lighting Limited — a power transmission and distribution firm in Niger — lost contact with his family on July 15, the day terrorists struck the Dosso region, reportedly killing two Indian workers.

His wife Sheela Devi, speaking from the family’s remote village of Chakka Kundi in Ramban, said she learned about the abduction from one of her husband’s friends in Niger after receiving vague responses from his company. “I kept calling the company, but they said there was no network at the site. No mention of anything serious,” said the mother of three young children.

Ranjeet’s father Mohan Lal said: “He was supposed to return in a month or two. We request the PM to help us. He has three small children,” Lal said. Social media users have amplified the family’s appeal.